Public-private partnerships in refugee resettlement: Europe and the US

Abstract

This article describes the process of resettlement in five states (the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States). The different roles of private, non-governmental actors in the five systems are explored. The nature of the state as a provider of public welfare assistance is a factor that seems to determine the extent to which private actors play a role in resettlement. The article draws preliminary conclusions that could inform future social science research.Cet article d~;crit le processus de r&;tablissement de rdfug, i~;s dans cinq pays (Ies Pays-Bas, la Finlande, la Suede, le Royaume-Uni et les Etats-Unis). On y dtudie les divers r61es que jouent les acteurs priv&/non-gouvernementaux au sein des cinq syst~mes. L'dtat comme.&urnisseur d'aide publique est un dlfment qui semble ddterminer h7 mesure dans laquelle les acteurs priv& jouent un r#le dans la politique du rdeetablissement. L'article tire des conclusions prdiminaires qui pourraient alimenter la recherche en sciences sociales h l'aveni~

“I Didn’t Want to be a Burden”: Improving Interactions between Refugees and Nonprofit Service Providers

“…al., 2003;Jamil, Ventimiglia, Makki, & Arnetz, 2010). Studies have shown that trauma, especially when coupled with other mental health and physical health concerns, must first be addressed before a refugee is able to reach self-sufficiency (van Selm, 2003).…”

“…Considering the case of nonprofits, specifically, employees and volunteers have daily contact with those receiving services. They also have an understanding of problems and hardships that these individuals face (van Selm, 2003). Therefore, nonprofits are often in a unique position to identify and recommend services that can be most helpful during the resettlement and integration process.…”

“…This is similar to the idea of refugee selfsufficiency where refugees are able to live independently. This notion has frequently been discussed in practitioner and academic literature (e.g., Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, 2014;van Selm, 2003).…”

“…That is, who should collect this data? As the literature describes (Lipsky, 1980(Lipsky, , 2010van Selm, 2003), those at the street level work closest with clients. These individuals may, therefore, be in the best position to understand and advocate for client needs.…”

Caring for Refugees: Questioning the Public-Private Dichotomy in Canadian Resettlement

“…The extent to which resettlement is considered a state activity is connected to broader ideas about the distribution of care and the role of the state. A comparative study found that in welfare state models such as Sweden, states provide more extensive public services to refugees, whereas in the United States, where public services are limited, resettlement relies extensively on private organizations 139.…”